Blogger was a great starting point but it makes sense to move to WordPress because I already use it professionally and for other side projects I'm trying to get going. Plus, I will have better plug-ins and other goodies at my disposal. Bloglovin' will remain the same but this also means I will no longer be using Google Friend Connect! I apologize for that but GFC doesn't play nicely with WordPress unfortunately. :(

13 September 2015

Oh hey, how are you? It has certainly been awhile but I have come back wiser and maybe even smarter. During my hiatus I was up to many things but the most important one is certainly being able to finally tell my job I was quitting and transitioning over to a dream job.

I still want to do more freelancing, and sometime down the line I would love to be 100% self-employed again, but I am very much psyched for this "corporate" job because it's an industry I absolutely believe in: 3D printing. But the journey of getting there wasn't all sunshine-y happiness.

Staying True To You

"I just put in my two weeks, they didn't want me to tell you but I wanted you know."

Those were the words a former coworker and current good friend told me. At the time, I felt betrayed. I could almost hear something snapping in my head because we had just lost two other people the week before and were swamped with client projects. When it was time for his final day at the office, I stumbled across a post by the late Linds Redding, an advertising exec and former Art Director who died of cancer in 2012. Before he passed, he wrote an amazing piece on his personal blog calledA Short Lesson In Perspective.

The quick version is that Redding realized he missed out on so much in his life--birthdays, anniversaries, family gatherings--for the sake of advertising and his career. He called his work at a top, globally recognized agency useless and considered himself a "creative drone."

The phrase struck every part of me. I am very career focused and being in marketing and advertising is a big part of who I am and my personality. But I felt stuck, dumb, in a creative rut and I couldn't quite find the perfect wording for it. Then I read Redding's post over and over again while creative drone echoed over and over again in my head. I had dreams about it. I talked extensively about it with fellow creatives, family, friends, and even my therapist. It wouldn't leave me alone. I started interviewing at the new job shortly after my co-worker had told me he was leaving with all of this in mind.

"Have you ever felt like a creative drone before?"

I asked my new manager, who just came in after three people quit and left. It was storming outside and I had a full view from the double windows in the chilly conference room.

"No." He didn't even give it thought and gave me a look like I was an escaped psych patient. The storm passed over once the meeting was finished. I had made a choice regardless of any offer.

The next day I wrote out my official resignation after getting that amazing call. During my final day, the lead designer quit as well. He was another person I mentioned the blog article to and I already could see the stress leaving him as he said his goodbyes in the parking lot and nearly skipped to his car.

This entire experience has definitely awakened something in me that I didn't even know was dormant: being mindful of your whole life. Being career minded is fine and dandy but only one piece of me and I was losing out on so much more by trying to impress people who didn't even really care. It pissed me off enough to change that completely.

Being Mindful Of Your Nerd Life

While I was hustling, working extensively and intensely stressed out, my other passions became completely neglected which included this blog. In fact, I was even telling myself, "This is just what happens when you become an adult and really grow up."

Fuck. That.

The whole point of this blog, being part of various online nerd communities, is not giving in to those thoughts or assuming that in order to be an adult, you have to give up on your nerdy quirks. I wasn't being true to my own self and the whole mission of Nerdjoy. That is stopping pronto.

So, the long and short of it is this: I know many others are stuck in the same rut. Maybe it is for different reasons, but regardless, you feel as though you're losing a part of yourself or neglecting a piece of yourself for the sake of something else. You don't need to feel that way. You don't need to sacrifice your quirks, your unique habits, your nerdy life because you feel obligated to. Whether it is school, work, or something else entirely, that is just one piece that makes up the microcosm of you.

And remember that you can always change what is going on in your life in order to stay mindful. I felt trapped in my situation and scared of attempting to escape. Around this same time last year, I had lost what I thought was a dream job and went into a deep depression that had me attempting suicide in late October. I didn't want to fail and go back to that mental state, losing out on all the progress I have made so far.

But then I applied for that new job anyway, anxiety be damned. I already feel things going back to a happier state.

In Other News

I definitely needed to get that off my chest but there are other things I wanted to say that aren't so philosophical.

I renewed the Halloween and autumn listings for Little Quirks! I will also be hopefully adding more pieces closer to October now that I'm reigniting my interest in jewelry making.

If you didn't hear the news, I'm attempting to blog my love of Dungeons & Dragons over on a dedicated website called Critical Homebrew. It will focus on tabletop gaming in general, though.

Nerdjoy will be moving over to WordPress! I have grown out of Blogger and also have a 2-year Bluehost plan that I'm rarely using so it is time to actually be a "legit" blogger.

How have you been? What's going on lately? I want to know so comment below!

21 August 2015

They happen all the time on the Internet. WhoLock. SuperWhoLock. Or Doctor Who and pretty much any fandom known in the Universe. Crossovers are taking two awesome things and making an EVEN AWESOMER thing (such as Kingdom Hearts) and I have a few that I know my heart would explode if they ever happened.

The Last of Us // The Walking Dead
I am actually not much of a TWD viewer, mostly because it interferes with Game of Thrones watching and I'm not the biggest fan of zombie stories. But still, the Last of Us is definitely one of my exceptions and I think combining the two would be horrifying (in an awesome way) and I would watch it a whole lot more.

Joel and Rick could totally have a beard growing contest. Ellie could make sure Carl stops being a doo-doo head and cheer him up with lame puns and jokes. AH, THIS NEEDS TO BE HAPPEN!

Silent Hill // Resident Evil
They tend to get lumped together when it comes to horror/survival video-games but the two are pretty dang different. Silent Hill is all about the spooky atmosphere and messing with your mind while Resident Evil is more about the shock-and-blood factor. I love both for different reasons. But could you imagine Wesker trying to get through the town of Silent Hill without going absolutely crazy?

Witcher // The Elder Scrolls
I've thought about it many, many, maaaaany times while playing Witcher 3 lately. Especially because there's a big group of islands in the Witcher world called Skellige and it is essentially Skyrim condensed into Irish/Norse inspired islands with much harder enemies and terrain to maneuver. Combining the worlds of Witcher and Elder Scrolls would probably be the end of any sort of life I have because of that endless exploration.

As you can see in the picture above, the level of detail in Witcher 3 is NUTS. If you added in that detail along with the endless quests of Elder Scrolls, you can take all my money immediately.

Steven Universe // Clarence
I absolutely adore both of these shows and seeing Clarence and crew interact with Steven's gang would be amazing. Pearl would be having a panic attack trying to keep everything in order and I'm sure Sumo would try and make Garnet lose her cool. Much better than the Steven Universe/Uncle Grandpa crossover, in my opinion! I think this fanart sums it up perfectly and should convince you too. ;)

Rat Queens // Game of Thrones
It would be weird and probably not work, but damn it, I want to see the Rat Queens wreck havoc throughout Westeros and Essos! Maybe even team up with Arya for a little while? Kill some baddies with Brienne? Swap drinking tales with Tyrion? C'mon, it practically writes itself!

31 July 2015

Power Rangers and I go waaaaay back, like OG fangirl Stephanie before I even knew what or how to fangirl. I've talked about old Power Rangers toys in the past here on Nerdjoy and then something magical happened and the stars aligned within the realm of Blind Box Collecting.

They did it, everyone. They finally made a blind box collection for the ORIGINAL Power Rangers!

To be fair, these are pricey compared to other blind boxes on the market. For example, the Funko Game of Thrones blind boxes typically range around $5.00 to $12.50 depending on where you find them while the Power Rangers ones are a whopping $15.00! As another reference, that's more than most full size Funko Pop! figurines. But you do get more accessories and the build on the figures is well made compared to some of the sub-par paint jobs Funko uses recently. I totally still collect Funko's, but I'm now much more picky.

I got Tommy in his Green Ranger attire and he comes with his flute, sword, removable helmet, and even a detachable ponytail which had me cracking up because I found a detachable pony tail to be an interesting accessory to add. The legs and arms can be posed, too.

At $15, this is a good deal for those who really enjoy Power Rangers and want some interesting throwback flair to add to their collection of toys and other goodies. They also have Rita Repulsa and Goldar as collectible villains!

I will say my only complaint is that it's a tiny bit difficult having Tommy stand on his own because of how the legs are and the figure is so top heavy. But it would be easy enough to find a mini stand for your figures or lean it against something.

The packaging is even nice, too. Most blind boxes are the typical glossy boxes and then a black baggie inside. The boxes for the Power Rangers are matte finished boxes that are brightly colored. I tend to shake the boxes in order to see the weight and possible size but these guys are a bit tougher because the Power Rangers are all the same size and are packed in with their accessories.

Just chilling with Ash, Misty, and Pikachu on a living room shelf! This was a pretty awesome Blind Box find and hopefully you can find them out in the wild too!

What do you think, are you going to get some of your own Power Rangers?

29 July 2015

Having a garden doesn't mean needing a huge backyard and lots of time anymore. Many people living in smaller spaces still have the chance to grow flowers, herbs, succulents--you name it! I've definitely plunged into that world, despite not really having the best green thumb. In fact, I have a knack for killing plants rather than helping them grow. The only thing that has survived my "gardening skills" in the past is a dogwood bush but that's only because those things are hard to kill.

But now, with succulents becoming so popular, I think I found plants that are more suited for my particular brand of garden care. Which is to say, I often forget to water my plants a week or two at a time.

But anyway, for you geeks out there who have Poison Ivy levels of gardening or even beginners like myself, here are some geeky planters I found that you'll absolutely love. Check them out!

You can always create your own geeky inspired planters and vases as craft stores usually have a bunch of items to choose from. Or, another great way to find unique things to put your plants in is through garage sales and Craigslist. But these just so happen to be some favorites from Etsy.

Which ones are your favorite? Do you have any geeky planters or vases for your plants?

HEY THERE

The name's Steph and I'm a Southern California girl living in Michigan and the nerd girl behind Nerdjoy! My philosophy is living a nerd lifestyle with purpose and happiness and I want to share that with you all as well. So, let's take that adventure together! Learn more about Nerdjoy and myself here.